


the job of yuuta aoi

by nightfurious



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Probably ooc, Surprise Party, happy! birthday! shinobu!!, i really don't knwo what this is, i rushed this toward the end, please take it anyway, probably does not fit into the canon timeline at all, they are very awkward, they visit a toy shop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 10:09:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14892636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightfurious/pseuds/nightfurious
Summary: He had one job. And he has to make sure he does it right at all costs.





	the job of yuuta aoi

**Author's Note:**

> it's technically a few minutes after his birthday but please take this. i love shinobu sengoku with all my heart

Yuuta exhaled shakily, tapping his fingers repeatedly on his desk. It was early morning, way too early, and he was the only one in the class so far. But he and his brother had plans, and the two of them had their own jobs to do. Yuuta had to make sure he did his part properly or else the whole thing might fall apart. Thankfully, his job was pretty simple: he just had to be in the right place at the right time -- all day.

Sighing again, he released a small, frustrated grunt. The suspense was painful. Alone, there was little chance that his brother would complete his part before class started (well, before Tetora arrived, anyway), which made it even more important for Yuuta to maintain his position until even after school. Except that he wasn’t sure he could wait that long, especially not when his job involved-

“Oh? Yuuta-kun?”

The twin jolted out of his thoughts with force, startling the newcomer in the process.  _ Well, _ he thought,  _ here goes nothing. _

“Oh, Shinobu-kun!” he said with a smile. “What are you doing here so early?”

Shinobu made his way over to his own desk near Yuuta’s. “Ah, I was planning to do some work for the broadcasting committee this morning. However, I did not quite make it to the club room before Yuuki-dono intercepted me and forced me to turn around. As such, I am here with nothing to do.” He plopped into his chair and peered over at the other boy. “And you, Yuuta-kun? Why are you here so early?”

“Oh, um, Aniki wanted to get something done early this morning,” said Yuuta. “‘Yuuki-dono,’ that’s Yuuki Makoto from 2-A, isn’t it? Why wouldn’t he let you into the club room?”

“Yuuki-dono is also in the broadcasting committee. He would not explain why he was blocking me, but he kept messing up his words, almost… like he was hiding something?” Shinobu frowned. “But Yuuki-dono would not do that, so I do not understand.”

“Hiding something…?”  _ Wait, would Yuuki-senpai happen to know about… _ Yuuta fumbled for his phone, but the door opened again before he could send his brother a message. Tori yawned a good morning to the two of them, effectively ending the conversation. 

Yuuta gulped. If Yuuki, or the broadcasting committee, happened to be planning something like the twins were, it could be very problematic. There would be conflicts and confusion, or maybe both plans would somehow be ruined. He had to let Hinata know, but now his opportunity had passed. Tori’s arrival meant that the rest of the class would soon be filing in, and then, there would be no chance. 

Oh, well. It would have to wait.

\--

Class snailed by at an unbearable pace, and by the time they were dismissed for lunch, Yuuta was trying valiantly to fight sleep. Hinata met him at the door as he left. “Yuuta-kun, guess what I heard!”

“Hurry up and tell me,” said Yuuta. “I have something important to tell you, too.”

“Tetora-kun caught me in the middle of my preparations. He was real confused when he saw me, saying ‘That’s what  _ I’m _ here for, why are  _ you _ doing it,’ so --”

Yuuta groaned. “So Ryuseitai… was planning the same thing we were?”

“Yep! But, it’s okay!” his brother continued. “We worked it out. Now, we and Ryuseitai will be doing it together.”

The two of them made their way into the lunchroom and sat down to eat. “We may have to do it with some others as well,” said Yuuta. “Shinobu-kun told me this morning that Yuuki Makoto from 2-B, a member of the broadcasting club, wouldn’t let him go into the club room. I think they might also be planning something.”

Hinata nodded thoughtfully. “Hm~ I can find him later, and make sure. But Yuuta-kun, leave all that to me! Your job is the most important, after all!”

Almost on cue, Shinobu finally arrived and sat down next to Yuuta, humming something under his breath. Yuuta sighed. It was going to be a long day.

\--

The rest of class passed in a blur, but finally the end arrived and it was time for the last leg of Yuuta’s job. Taking a quick breath, he turned to where he could see a familiar head of purple hair. “Hey, Shinobu-kun!”

“Hm?” Shinobu turned to face him with a pencil clenched between his lips. Realizing this, his eyes widened and he fumbled to drop it into his hands. “Ah, what is it, Yuuta-kun?”

Yuuta bit back a laugh. “Aniki asked me to go shopping for things that 2wink might need in our next live. Would you come with me?”

Shinobu choked. “Y- yes! I- I would love to-- I mean! Yes, I will g- go with Y- Yuuta-kun, ah!” The pencil slipped out of his hand and rolled toward Yuuta, who picked it up and offered it to him. Shinobu looked like he was trying to make himself as small as possible, his face bright red. Yuuta felt his own face start to heat up. 

“Aha, that’s good! I was worried I would have to go to the shopping district alone,” he said casually. Shinobu gulped and nodded, taking the pencil and hurriedly shoving it in his bag. 

The two made their way from the school and began walking to the shopping district in silence. Yuuta could feel the awkwardness radiating from the smaller boy and started to feel bad for dragging him along, but no matter how tried to make small conversation, Shinobu only gave short nods or a quick response that sounded distinctly embarrassed. It was actually starting to rub off on Yuuta, and his attempts to make Shinobu talk became fewer and farther between. When they finally arrived to the shopping district, it came as a relief. 

The first store they entered was a little trinket shop. There was nothing in there that would particularly benefit 2wink, but there was some anime merchandise, and Shinobu finally broke his own silence when he found a keychain of one of his favorite characters. Yuuta also found a small toy shuriken and had the other boy show him how to use it. It didn’t go well, but they both found it amusing when Yuuta continued to drop it. 

The second shop was similar, but far less interesting. Yuuta was able to make Shinobu laugh by putting on a show with a pair of masks, but the two of them left fairly quickly.

The third shop was a toy shop. Inside, they found many toys and stuffed animals that would suit 2wink. Shinobu found several that he tried to show Yuuta, but they were all dropped in favor of some special anime toys they found. Regretfully, Shinobu didn’t have the money to buy one, but he was overjoyed to find that they existed. 

“I promise,” he said to the toy, “I will come back when I can afford it. Alas, for now, I cannot. I am sorry…”

Yuuta laughed quietly at the sight, holding one stuffed animal to his chest. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to get it soon~ Should we move on before you become too sad?”

“No, not yet,” Shinobu said slowly, smiling down at the toy. His smile slowly disappeared, and he shoved his face into the toy. Yuuta jumped.

“Shinobu-kun? Are you--”

“Yuuta-kun… Um… Doesn’t this…” Shinobu squeezed the toy tighter. “Doesn’t this feel like… a d- date?”

Yuuta blinked once, then twice, his brain slowly processing the words. “A… date? Wha-- no! No! That’s not-- that wasn’t what I--”

He forced himself to close his mouth, his face burning. Shinobu didn’t say anything, gripping the toy until his knuckles were white. Yuuta inhaled shakily. His eyes flicked upward to the clock above the door, only to realize it was almost an hour later than he had intended they be out. “Sh- Shinobu-kun! We should, um, go back to the school. I just remembered that I left something there, and I- I need it for my homework.”

Shinobu’s face popped out of the toy, still bright red. “Yes! We-- Let’s go back.”

They left the store, and Yuuta groaned, making a quick excuse about having to use the bathroom before running back inside. He was only a moment, and the two quickly dashed off back to Yumenosaki. 

They arrived back to the school gates soon enough, but Yuuta stopped short. Shinobu slowly came to a halt and turned to face him. “Yuuta-kun? Shouldn’t we be going inside to retrieve the item you forgot?”

“Ah, yes, um…” Yuuta gulped and fastened his eyes on the ground. “Shinobu-kun… What you said earlier, about… that, seeming like a date, I--”

“N- nevermind that, Yuuta-kun!” Shinobu squeaked. He rushed forward and grabbed Yuuta’s hands to pull him into the school, and despite the urgency of the moment, all Yuuta could feel was the warmth of the smaller boy’s hand in his own. It was almost enough to make him forget that he was supposed to be doing a job.  _ Almost. _

“Ah, Shinobu-kun, wait! It’s not in our classroom,” he spluttered once they entered the building. He quickly fumbled for his phone. “It’s, um… in one of the soundproof lesson rooms!”

“Wha-- there? But why would it be--”

“Don’t ask, just come with me!”

Their hands were together again, but this time Yuuta was in the lead. It took all of his willpower not to stop then and there, forget the plan, and just spend the rest of the day alone with Shinobu. A  _ date _ ? Yuuta hadn’t even thought about it, but it really did seem like a date. Was that what Hinata had intended when he assigned that job to Yuuta? Was that what Yuuta himself had wanted when he agreed to take the job, had he wanted a  _ date  _ with Shinobu? Well, if he had to ask himself that, the answer would be yes, but--

_ This isn’t the time! _

Yuuta glanced back down at his phone to make sure they were going to the right lesson room, and soon they were at the door. “Okay, Shinobu-kun,” he said, far louder than necessary. “We’re here!”

Shinobu blinked in confusion. “Yuuta-kun, why are you--”

Before he could finish, Yuuta swung the door open and pushed the smaller boy inside. Suddenly, the inside exploded with light, and the two could clearly see what the others had been preparing all day. All four other members of Ryuseitai, the two other members of the broadcasting club, and Hinata were inside, wearing party hats and holding party poppers. Streamers hung from every corner and ceiling tile of the room, and along one wall there was a large table on which sat multiple cakes and some drinks. Next to that table was another one where several gift boxes and bags had been set up. And along the back wall, there had been three words strung up in colorful box letters. The words there were then echoed by every single person besides Shinobu himself:  _ “Happy birthday, Shinobu!” _

For one moment, there was silence. Then, Shinobu covered his face in his hands and his shoulders started to shake. Yuuta jumped forward quickly. “Shinobu-kun?! Are you okay--”

Shinobu quickly turned around and hugged Yuuta right around the middle. If Yuuta could have, he probably would have exploded right then, but Shinobu started talking.

“Y- Y- Yuuta-kun~! I- I’m so happy… I- I thought that m- my birthday had been forgotten, but you all are here, and you are here for me! Thank you so much!” he cried loudly, speaking mostly into Yuuta’s shirt. Yuuta didn’t mind, and as the situation sank in, he began to laugh. He hugged Shinobu back lightly before they split apart and the smaller boy dashed off to greet the others. As he met the grins of the others in Ryuseitai, Hinata joined Yuuta near the door.

“So?” the older asked excitedly. “How did it go?”

“It- it was fine!” said Yuuta, too quickly. “We visited a few shops together, but that was all we could do before we came back. I know we were late, I’m sorry for that.”

“Nah, don’t mind it. But, that doesn’t answer my question! Did you enjoy it?”

“I--” Yuuta paused, focusing his eyes on Shinobu. The boy had made his way to the food table and was now trying to get himself cake while chatting happily with Midori. Sighing softly, he continued, “Yeah. Yeah, I- I enjoyed it.”

Hinata hummed contentedly, following Yuuta’s gaze. Thankfully, he didn’t press any further. “You were right, by the way. The broadcasting club was also planning a party, but thankfully when I told Yuuki-senpai about the conflict he agreed to do the whole thing here. He told Nito-senpai about it, too.”

Yuuta nodded. “I’m glad they came. I wish that there were more people in Shinobu-kun’s Ninja Association that could have come, but I think he’s happy with the people who are here now.”

“So? What are you waiting for?” Hinata continued. Yuuta frowned at him, but before he could respond, the older shoved him in Shinobu’s direction. Stumbling several steps, Yuuta finally made it to the food table just as Shinobu managed to get a slice of cake on a plate. Midori took his entrance as a cue to leave, and the two were left alone again.

“Yuuta-kun!” Shinobu said excitedly. “This is my favorite cake~! How did you know?”

“I’m sure that Aniki has his ways,” laughed Yuuta, helping himself to a slice, too. 

“Ah, and I’m surprised that Yuuki-dono and Nito-dono are here, as well! I did not realize that the broadcasting committee would be close enough to come to another’s birthday party, but I am happy that I’ve found so many good friends in such a short time! Yuuta-kun, thank you!”

Yuuta smiled at him. “It was mostly Aniki’s doing, not mine. He planned most of this, and he found everyone who would come. My job was to distract you until they were ready. But, we were late anyway…”

“Ah, if that was my fault, I am terribly sorry! I--”

“No, no, I wasn’t paying attention to the time.” The two made their way away from the others, standing just under the “Happy Birthday, Shinobu!” banner hung on the wall. “But anyway, about earlier.”

“Ah, Yuuta-kun, please pay no attention to what I said.”

“No, that’s not it. I… maybe, I…” Yuuta’s face flushed, and he turned away so he couldn’t see Shinobu’s face. “I w- wanted to go on a d- date with you.”

His voice turned upward like a question at the end, and he almost slapped himself for how nervous he sounded. The urge became stronger when Shinobu didn’t respond. He slowly turned around to see Shinobu facing him, his face colored a brighter red than Yuuta had ever seen another person. But before Yuuta could react, he heard Shinobu whisper, “W- with… you wanted to go… with  _ me _ ?”

Yuuta’s mouth opened, then closed. He nodded slowly. 

“I…” Shinobu slowly turned his eyes to the floor. “I have… w- wanted to go with you, a- as well… I, um-- Yuuta-kun, I like you!”

“You-- Shinobu-kun, you feel-- I- I like you, too!” 

If there was ever a moment where Yuuta had felt more nervous, or more happy, or more like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole, he couldn’t remember it. Shinobu had wanted to go on a date with him all along, just like Yuuta had with Shinobu. It felt like a dream, and actually, Yuuta was half convinced that it was.

“Hey! If you two  _ lovebirds _ are done, there are some presents to open over here!” Hinata called. Both of them jumped; Yuuta was equal parts relieved for the distraction and annoyed that their moment had been interrupted, but it was Shinobu’s birthday, and besides, Yuuta had something to give him, too.

And so they began to open the gifts. Yuuki and Nito had gotten Shinobu a new pair of headphones, which the latter had mentioned wanting for a while. Chiaki gave him a collection of tokusatus that he claimed were centered around ninjas. Midori had gotten a rather adorable mascot character of a frog, and Hinata and Tetora had a bunch of ninja things that looked very dangerous despite being toys, but Shinobu seemed very excited to have them. Finally, Yuuta cleared his throat and presented to Shinobu the very toy that he had been hugging in the toy shop. 

By this point, the smaller boy’s enjoyment was palpable. Everyone present seemed infected by it, and the rest of the night passed in a huge, happy blur. But everyone had to go home, and eventually only Shinobu and the twins were left. Yuuta asked Hinata to wait outside, and he and Shinobu were alone once more. 

“Yuuta-kun, once again, thank you,” said Shinobu, clutching Yuuta’s toy and Midori’s mascot character. “I think that I can say that, without a doubt, this has been my favorite birthday so far, and it would not have been so enjoyable without you.”

Yuuta smiled. In answer, he merely reached out and laced his fingers together with Shinobu’s. The latter looked up in surprise, and Yuuta slowly leaned forward and brushed his lips against Shinobu’s forehead. (The thought of actually kissing him crossed his mind, but he figured that they would both explode if he tried that.) Shinobu’s face flushed again, but his smile spread faster than the blush, and he leaned against Yuuta’s shoulder. Yuuta sighed contentedly. 

“Happy birthday, Shinobu-kun.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is really dumb i'm so sorry but i just. love shinobu. happy birthday, son. i love you so much


End file.
